Lahat ng Kabanata ng Moonstruck: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 64

Hope asked to see the mountain.Luan hesitated. The mountain held the first wolf's bones. The first wolf's power. The first wolf's oldest wounds. Hope was born from those wounds. Luan did not know what would happen if the small honey-colored wolf saw where it came from.But Hope's golden eyes were steady.I need to understand, Hope said. What I was. What I am becoming.Luan looked at Cass. He nodded.Then we go together, Luan said.The three of them walked to the mountain as the sun rose. Hope stayed close to Luan's side, its small paws silent on the fallen leaves. Cass walked on Luan's other hand, his hand in hers.The climb took most of the morning.Hope did not tire. The small wolf moved with a grace that surprised Luan. It had never had a body before. It had never felt the sun on its fur or the wind in its face. But it moved like it had been running for centuries.When they reached the base of the peak, Hope stopped.The bones were there. Massive. Golden. Pulsing with light.Hope

The hunger returned three nights later.Not Hope. Hope was sleeping by the fire, her honey-colored fur rising and falling with each breath. This was something else. Something that had been hiding beneath the first wolf's bones, waiting for Luan to lower her guard.Luan woke to find herself standing in the clearing, her claws extended, her teeth bared. She did not remember leaving the cabin. She did not remember shifting. The moon was full. The pack was gathered around her, their eyes wide, their bodies tense.Cass stood in front of her. His hands were raised. His gold eyes were steady.Luan, he said. Come back.She tried to speak. The words would not come. Her body was not her own. Something else was driving her. Something ancient and hungry and desperate.The thing inside her spoke through her mouth.Give me the wolf, it said. Its voice was hers but not hers. Deeper. Older. Colder.Cass did not flinch.No, he said.The thing laughed. Luan's body shook.Then I will take her.It lunged.